Robert Louis-Dreyfus is likely to take a controlling stake in the club as details over Sunderland's takeover remain unclear, according to Phil Smith of the Sunderland Echo.
Supporters are waiting with bated breath after news broke last month regarding a deal agreed by Stewart Donald to sell the club.
A consortium led by minority shareholder Juan Sartori and Louis-Dreyfus - the 22-year-old son of former Marseille owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus - are set to purchase a majority stake in the club, with Donald reducing his shares significantly.
However it remains to be seen what the takeover will look like and who will be the majority shareholder.
One man who has been following the takeover closely is Phil Smith of the Sunderland Echo who expects that Louis-Dreyfuss could take the controlling stake - something that could lead to 'fairly significant change' at the club.
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Writing for the Sunderland Echo, Smith said: "We’ve seen a couple of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place of late, with the arrival of Kristjaan Speakman and Lee Johnson as Sporting Director and Head Coach.
"Both have spoken very well about the challenge ahead, and their desire to move Sunderland away from being a club defined by short-term decision making.
"The biggest piece of the puzzle, though, remains the ownership question and here, supporters still wait for clarity.
"The difference will ultimately depend on how the shareholding breaks down and who ultimately has the controlling stake in the club.
"If it is a combination of Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, then there are questions that will need to be answered over the scale of change and to what extent the direction will be different from the last two-and-half years.
"Particularly as Sartori’s political career in Uruguay seems very strongly to remain his main focus, and makes a significant increase in presence around his football club seem unlikely.
"If Louis-Dreyfus is taking a controlling stake on his own, then that clearly marks a fairly significant change."
The Verdict
Sunderland supporters certainly need clarity over the takeover deal.
While several key appointments have been made - including that of head coach Lee Johnson - it's the people at the top table who fans are keeping a close eye on.
It seems that a deal could be announced at any time and that's something that needs to happen sooner rather than later if the club are to truly kick on this term.
